CELEBRITY SOUP

CELEBRITIES WHO CHOOSE TO LIVE A FRUGAL LIFE

Not every famous person feels the need to flaunt their extraordinary wealth.

By Riesa Pascal

While boasting a lavish lifestyle has become almost synonymous with being a celebrity in Hollywood, there are some stars who prefer to go against the grain and instead choose to live a more modest and humble life. From extreme money management to shameless coupon cutting, here are several frugal celebs who you aren’t queuing up to flaunt their excess on “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.”

SARAH JESSICA PARKER She may love high-end fashion and shop like a millionaire on the big screen, but Sarah Jessica Parker incredibly still dresses her children in hand-me-downs. Despite her net worth of $150 million, Parker has been vocal over the years about wanting to ensure that her three children don’t grow up spoiled or feeling entitled to her wealth. As a result, she’s been more than happy to recycle hand-me-downs from their older cousins and put them to good use in her little ones' wardrobes.

JAY LENO After Jay Leno became the host of NBC's The Tonight Show in 1992, he decided that he would never touch his salary of $15 million annually. Throughout his career, Jay instead chose to live off his stand-up income of $10 million per year and put his other earnings into savings. It’s also worth noting that his peak The Tonight Show salary was $30 million per year, but Leno agreed to a 50% pay cut to help his staff get raises and keep their jobs—talk about a standup guy!

SARAH MICHELLE GELLAR When it comes to saving dollars, coupons can be an absolute lifesaver and apparently Sarah Michelle Gellar would agree! Her net worth is around $20 million, but being a millionaire hasn’t made her too proud to clip coupons which add up to big savings over time. In order to avoid paying more bucks for her everyday purchases, Gellar will often use coupons at the grocery store or even the department store during her shopping trips.

PAUL MCCARTNEY Just because you are loaded doesn’t mean you have an obligation to share that wealth with others! Even though he is one of the most famous rock stars of all time, Paul McCartney is well-known for his humble and frugal ways. Case in point? Despite his net worth of $1.2 billion, The Beatles frontman has no shame in asking guests to pay for their own drinks at a party. The frugality doesn’t end at just his friends either. His own daughter Stella had to buy clothes from second-hand shops as a child and even paid her own way through school.

KRISTEN BELL Who’s to say you have to change your fashion tastes just because your income increases? After a successful Broadway career and an acclaimed role in Disney’s highest earning animated movie of all time, Kristen Bell has amassed a net worth of $40 million. Needless to say, the Frozen star could afford to wear any designer she wants on the red carpet, but she is surprisingly well-known for being a much more budget conscious shopper than her celebrity peers. For one event, Bell even donned a $45 dress from Target and she certainly didn’t have to sacrifice style for budget in order to do so!

VINCENT KARTHEISER With a net worth of $6 million, you may be surprised to learn that Mad Men star Vincent Kartheiser lives an extremely modest lifestyle. Rather than invest his wealth into swanky sports cars, Kartheiser is a devoted bus and train user who prefers to take public transit everywhere. If that wasn’t impressive enough, get a load of this— Kartheiser also lives in a one-bedroom apartment in Hollywood and frequently donates gently used goods to charities as a way to recycle and give back.

TYRA BANKS Even though she has a net worth of $90 million, Tyra Banks is the queen of penny pinching and has never been shy about doing so! From keeping the free shampoo and soaps left in her fancy hotel rooms to making DIY oil blotters from disposable toilet seat protectors, Banks is notorious for her frugality and speaks openly about her clever tips for how to stretch a dollar.